When Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson auditioned for The X Factor in the summer of 2010, no one could have predicted the success they would achieve as One Direction.

Just three years on, these five talented boys from across the UK have become global superstars, selling over 30 million records across the world and picking up a string of awards as they go, including their latest win of Global Success at the BRIT Awards 2013.

In the last year, they have embarked on a world tour – playing the UK, America, Australia and New Zealand – meeting fans who have loyally supported them from their first single release.

They even became the first British group to reach No 1 in the US with their debut album Up All Night. Their incredible and inspirational story is now a part of our music history. And here is their story ...

In July 2010, five talented boys attended auditions for the UK’s award-winning TV talent show, The X Factor.

They each entered the competition as solo singers, with dreams of becoming successful music artists. Their first task was to impress three judges ... Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh.

With their genuine talent and lovable personalities, all five made it through the first round with positive feedback, but it was at the Bootcamp stage of the competition, that they received the news that their auditions hadn’t been strong enough to make it through to the next round.

But the judges were determined not to lose the boys and offered them a lifeline ... if they formed a group, they could stay in the competition. With the chance of success within their reach, the boys agreed to become a band and One Direction was born.

“I didn’t think I would ever want to be in a group,” admits Zayn. “But when I was there and it was happening, and I knew the lads a bit, there was no way I was going to say ‘no’.”

Harry continues: “When we first got together we went to Wembley to see Take That and we thought, ‘Yeah that’s what we want to be doing’. Fifteen years from now we want One Direction to be playing a gig together at Wembley.”

As The X Factor went live across the UK, One Direction began impressing an average of 16 million viewers each weekend with passionate performances of Kim Wilde’s Kids in America and Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars.

“We’ve all got quite different- sounding voices and our own individual style,” explains Zayn. “So we played up to that and played to our strengths.”

During this time, fans were beginning to appear outside the London-based TV studio in the hope of meeting their idols. In the backstage green room, fan mail was being delivered by the sackful.

When Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis set foot on stage each Saturday night, the screams were deafening and it became clear that this new group were becoming a huge deal with the country’s young music fans.

“It’s been crazy but we love seeing the support,” adds Zayn.

On December 12, 2010, the boys took to the stage for the final time to perform She’s The One with Robbie Williams.

This was their last opportunity to impress the judging panel and the nation; to secure a future in the music industry. That weekend, One Direction were crowned the third-place winners of The X Factor 2010 (Matt Cardle came tops).

Despite their success on the show, the boys had to face facts ... they hadn’t won the competition, and as a result weren’t given the first prize of a record deal. Now, they were on their own and had to find the means to keep making music together.

“We came from nothing, and had no experience as a group at all. By the time we came to the end of the show, we were a completely different group,” remembers Louis. “We worked so hard, and achieved so much. We became really close mates.”

Thankfully, there was someone who already had great belief in the boys; someone who could see that with some professional guidance and financial support, they could go on to be huge musical success.

That person was their X Factor mentor, Simon Cowell and just after Christmas, each member of One Direction received a call, asking them to attend a meeting at the Syco Records head office in London. That day, they were offered their first record deal.

Harry says: “Simon Cowell was telling us ‘your life was about to change’! It was weird. I feel incredibly lucky to have the life I do.”

Having signed to Syco Records, One Direction immediately began touring, spending two months travelling the UK with the X Factor Live Tour.

By the time debut album Up All Night was released in October 2011, Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis had already achieved their first No.1 single with What Makes You Beautiful. It became the biggest single pre-order in Sony’s history and the biggest track of the summer.

While the UK continued to celebrate the success of this new pop phenomenon, the news came that One Direction had signed a record deal in North America with Colombia Records. It was now February 2012 and the boys were out touring the US and promoting their debut single on world-famous TV programmes such as Saturday Night Live.

Their hard work paid off - What Makes You Beautiful went in at No 3 on US iTunes - the highest ever single chart position for a UK group. At the same time, the boys were being recognised for their staggering popularity and impressive sales figures.

In the March it was announced that Up All Night had entered the US Billboard chart at number one ... a first for a British group and a sure sign that the boys had officially cracked America.

Harry smiles: “We actually can’t believe we got a number one album in America. We’re just teenage boys, how did that happen? And now we get to play some incredible venues out there. We’re so lucky.”

It wasn’t just America either. Up All Night shot to number one in 17 different countries across the planet, including Australia, Sweden and Mexico.

The group celebrated this astounding achievement by taking their tour from the USA to Australia and New Zealand.

“You’re never going to get used to having people scream at you,” begins Harry.

Niall laughs: “I love it. I love the screaming. The fans love it too. They’ve all got their tickets and they’ve waited a year to see you, so you’ve got to give it your best.”

In May 2012, the boys began recording their second album, once again with a host of talented industry songwriters and producers. “Second albums are the hardest,” admits Harry, who is in the news for his love life almost as much as his music.

“We were a bit nervous before we started recording. But we have more experience this time, we had a bit more input and we’ve got better songs.”

“It’s more mature,” adds Louis. “We wanted the album to grow with us. We’re a year older, our music sounds older. I do think it’s a better album.

When Take Me Home got its much- anticipated unveiling in October, over 1m copies of were sold worldwide during the first week of release. It has topped the charts in 37 countries.

In February they were honoured at the Brit Awards once again with the award for Global Success and a nomination for Best British Group. “It really is absolutely mind-blowing,” says Louis, smiling. “We wouldn’t be here without our amazing fans.”

With yet another great achievement firmly in hand, the boys began working with Comic Relief, who work towards aiding under-privileged people across the world.

It was January when the boys flew to the Ghanaian capital of Accra, where they visited sick children who are in desperate need of support. Liam explains: “I’ve watched Red Nose Day appeals before and been in tears. But seeing these babies so sick is another level of sadness. You just don’t realise how hard life can be in other parts of the world.”

On their return, all five members agreed they would record the official 2013 Red Nose Day charity single, the proceeds of which would go to Comic Relief.

The single was decided on ... it would be One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks), a cover of Blondie’s hit, and rather than making a professional music video to go with the track, the boys bravely created their own film while on the road.

This meant the funds that would otherwise have been spent on a video could be donated to Comic Relief instead.

The song went in at No1 in the UK charts, and reached number 1 on iTunes in 63 countries on the week of release, another huge achievement for these five young boys from the UK who have worked tirelessly to not only make their dreams come true, but now support those less fortunate around the world.